Sports

A20 | Saturday, August 4, 2018 | Nevada Appeal

WOLF PACK BASKETBALL

‘Schutte’ yeah, Nevada should be No. 1

Nevada Appeal staff report
Mark it down, the University of
Nevada men’s basketball team has re-
ceived its first No. 1 ranking in school
history.
Actually, it’s not really an official
ranking of any kind, but Chris Schutte
of SBNation has written the Wolf Pack
should be No. 1 in preseason polls.
Schutte writes Nevada is going to
be the best team in college basketball
next season, although that’s obviously
no guarantee of winning a national
title.
Nevada is going to be the best team
in college basketball next year. There,
I said it.
One of the reasons for Schutte writ-
ing Nevada should be the preseason
No. 1 is Wolf Pack coach Eric Mus-
selman. But along with Musselman,
Schutte wrote Nevada should be No. 1
because of its players.
Schutte wrote Caleb and Cody
Martin, Jordan Caroline, numerous
transfers and 5-star recruit Jordan
Brown will make up one of the — if
not the most — talented rosters in the
country.
Schutte writes of potential top 10
teams only Gonzaga has a higher per-
centage of returning possession min-
utes. Schutte writes Nevada brings
back more offensive firepower than
Kansas, Kentucky and Duke.
Schutte also noted Nevada’s depth,
writing the Wolf Pack can go small or
big when needed.
To read the article visit https://
www.midmajormadness. BRAD COMAN/NEVADA APPEAL
com/2018/8/1/17634482/nevada- Carson City residents Lori Echeverria, Deb and Brent
wolf-pack-preseason-number-one-ap- Olson and Vince Echeverria cheer for the Nevada Wolf
coaches-poll-college-basketball-rank- Pack basketball team at Buffalo Wild Wings as they battle
ings-2018. Loyola-Chicago last season.

SECOND ACT
WOLF PACK FOOTBALL PGA TOUR

Baddeley
takes lead at
Barracuda
Pack returns 16 starters in Norvell’s second season; tickets on sale Nevada Appeal staff and wire report

RENO — Coming into the Barracuda

Nevada Appeal staff report
RENO — Single-game tickets for the
2018 Nevada football schedule are on sale.
Tickets are available online at Neva-
daWolfPack.com, in person at the main
ticket office on the lower level of Lawlor
Events Center and over the phone at 775-
348-PACK (7225).
This year’s home schedule is highlight-
ed by a visit from Pac-12 foe Oregon State
and the first trip to Mackay Stadium by
Boise State in the past four seasons. The
home schedule features five games at
Mackay before the end of October and
four home games against teams Who
went to a bowl game last season: Fresno
State, Boise State, San Diego State and
Colorado State.
The Wolf Pack, under second-year
coach Jay Norvell, features 16 returning
starters, including the top returning pass-
er in the conference in senior quarterback
Ty Gangi, Freshman All-American receiv-
er McLane Mannix and all-conference
defensive stars Malik Reed and Dameon
Baber. Mannix, Reed and Baber were all
named to the preseason All-Mountain
West team as Nevada was second in the
conference for having the most players on
the team.
The Wolf Pack bolstered its efforts on
both sides of the ball with one of the top
recruiting classes in the Mountain West
this year.
The Wolf Pack opens the season Aug. 31
against Portland State at Mackay Stadi-
um. It will mark the first meeting between
the schools since 1976. Nevada owns a 6-2
all-time record in the series, which dates
back to 1960.
After a trip to Nashville to take on
Vanderbilt, Nevada and Oregon State face
off in week three as the Beavers come to
Mackay Stadium on Sept. 15 for the fourth
meeting between the schools.
Nevada’s Kelton Moore rushes against Hawaii last season.
The Pack closes out non-conference play
Sept. 22 at Toledo, and then opens Moun-
tain West play at Air Force on Sept. 29.
October features three showdown home
games against familiar conference rivals
and a trip to the islands. First up is a visit
to Mackay Stadium from Fresno State on
Oct. 6. Nevada has won two of the last
three against the Bulldogs but fell last
year in Fresno.
On Oct. 13, Boise State returns to
Mackay. Nevada holds an 11-10 edge in
the rivalry in games played in Reno. The
AP
Broncos won the Mountain West champi-
onship in 2017.
Nevada then travels to face Hawaii at
Aloha Stadium on Oct. 20. The Wolf Pack
beat the Warriors last year in Reno and
have won six of the last seven meetings
between the schools.
The Pack’s ninth game in nine weeks
comes Oct. 27 when Nevada hosts San
Diego State at Mackay Stadium before a
bye week.
PACK, A22
Championship, Aaron Baddeley sat at
135th on the FedEx Cup points list.
The Australian is well on his way to
clinching his spot inside the Top 125 on the
standings after taking the lead at Reno’s
Montreux Golf and Country Club in Fri-
day’s second round.
Baddeley sits at 26 points in the Modi-
fied Stableford format tournament.
“It’s a tough day today,” Baddeley said.
“The wind was really gusting and gusting
in different directions. You really had to
wait until it was your turn to hit, pick a
club. Because it could be 15 downwind,
switch and be 15 straight in to you. It was
just crazy.”
He finished the first round in second
place (14 points) behind Ollie Schnied-
erjans, who had 17 points on Thursday.
Baddeley, who with a win is projected to be
74th in FedEx Cup points, had 12 points on
Friday behind 7 birdies. He didn’t card a
bogey. The 37-year-old Australian won the
last of his four PGA Tour titles in 2016.
“My game’s been pretty good,” Baddeley
said. “I haven’t capitalized with the putter
and just been working really hard on that.
Been hitting the ball pretty solid this week.
I’m hitting the ball well and making a few
extra putts, which has been nice.”
Schniederjans is in second after an
8-point day — after losing three-points for
a triple bogey on the seventh hole.
“It’s frustrating,” Schniederjans said.
“But everyone else who is out there this
afternoon is dealing with it. Cost me big
time on 7. I hit it and it went straight down
to the left.”
Andrew Putnam put together the best
round of the day. He jumped up to third,
gaining 40 spots. Putnam scored 17 points,
11 on his last seven holes with an eagle on
the par-5 13th and four birdies. He hit a
213-yard approach to a yard to set up the
BARRACUDA, A22